A Pilot's Trail
by Ser Nexi
Summary: Two, a pilot of Noxia's revered Flux flight accidentally barrels into Remnant, after a rough crash landing on the frozen fields of Jaeter during a battle with the forces of Avalon. Fuck knows what genre this is. Sci-Fi and Adventure? M for safety & use of expletives by Two and probably several others. Occasionally, updates.
1. Prologue: The Blazing Skies

**AN: Hello! So while Tale of Celia suffocates beneath the sands of Vacuo, never to be seen again for as long as Remnant exists, this is a mashup of RWBY and a 'little' idea I had a while back that blew into an actual story me and a friend began working on. Some things may not be clear at first, such as Noxia, Avalon, and the other pilots; others clearer, but I'll try not to get wordy in this note. With that said...**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth. I only own the characters that are not part of RWBY itself.**

 **Prologue: The Blazing Skies**

* * *

The skies above the frozen planet of Jaeter were ablaze with lasers, burning ships, and the sound of explosions. Ordinarily, the ice planet would not be the site of one of history's largest battles. Today, however, the situation was _vastly_ different.

Ships flew over the ruined and wrecked city of Halia, the once-shining skyscrapers reduced to rubble, their forward-mounted lasers firing until depletion. These fighters were focused on one thing, and one thing only: The destruction of a new experimental ship, produced by Noxia, once a primary faction in the galaxy at large, until Avalon began the conquest and complete dictatorship of the galaxy.

Avalon, believe it or not, was once a peaceful nation, until a faction of rogue Noxian soldiers killed the wife and son of Avalon's emperor. And so, like many kingdoms in history before them, a war had broken out. All attempts at negotiation were shut down, messengers executed or shot on sight, and entire worlds crumbled.

The new ship, its sleek, silver-lined black profile contrasting the stark white of the landscape, expertly dodged the lasers. The perks of being flown by one of Noxia's few ace pilots were showing, as the new ship banked left before unleashing its payload.

Twin revolver cannons came to life, 40mm SAPHEI-T shells ejecting forward and shredding through the shields and hulls of a secondary fighter group, the sound deafening were they not muted by the explosions around them. As the first group closed in on the ship, their lasers skimming the shield, hatches sprang open in the back, twin pods roaring to life and unleashing twelve guided missiles.

The first six smashed into the shields, shattering them with explosive force. The remainder tore into the hulls and engines of the pursuers and exploded, the pilots unable to escape the close-range surprise. Two ships banked towards the ground, unable to do anything but wait for the crash. The other four had become little more than debris, the pilots killed in the ensuing explosions.

* * *

Inside the new challenger, the pilot fistpumped. "The counterattack missiles worked. Silas is going to be happy... he hasn't been so in a while." The pilot's voice, low and slightly cheerful, resounded within the cockpit, distorted by a voice filter. Buttons, dials, knobs, and screens surrounded the pilot, the binary suns of the system gleaming through the heavily-reinforced glass of the cockpit. Pressing a button on the center console, the comm relay whirred to life with a quick sound of radio static. "Flux-2, reporting in. Silas's new toys work wonders, but it takes two shots to down a standard _Drake_ fighter. How are you guys holding up?"

For two seconds, there was silence. "Flux-3 responding. One and Four got downed, but I didn't see where they crashed and their locators aren't working. Six got sniped playing chicken, not sure what happened to everyone else." was the response, Flux-3's light voice clearly heard through the active comms. "Christ. I see your position, Three. Moving to engage the fighters on your tail." was Two's response, watching four small figures chase one larger ship, gold lasers bouncing off the shields. Maneuvering behind them, the twin cannons barked once more, chewing the tailing enemies into empty husks, veering down towards the frozen surface.

The comms burst into life once more. "Chasers down, Three. Any reports from One and Four?"

Three responded, her voice shaky and unsure. "Negative, Two. Snowstorm kicked up. Even if they were still active, the snowstorm's interfering with anything from the surface-shit, unknown Avalon on our tail! Go left!"

Instincts and Three screaming into their ear, Flux-2 banked left, a massive golden laser passing into the space where the two aircraft just were. Rear cameras online, Two was able to see the new attacker. A massive ship, well over half a kilometer long, entered from orbit, smashing into anything unlucky enough to remain in its path. AA turrets lined the hull, firing at the black ships of Noxia with absolute hatred. Two was shocked, death-gripping the controls, knuckles pale under their gloves. The ship gleamed white, its golden designation ' _Sword of Avalon_ ' clearly visible. "Fuck!" shouted Three, her panic audible. "They brought a capital ship here! Avalon's pulling out all the stops to ensure that Noxia's new tech doesn't survive! Two, get your ass into high orbit and warp out of here, don't let them des-" Three was unable to finish her sentence, the main gun on the _SoA_ enveloping her aircraft in a shining, golden blast, leaving Two to escape through any means necessary.

* * *

Two was in some deep shit.

Over an hour later, Two was still stuck in the lower atmosphere. The autocannons had a grand total of 157 shots left, and the rear pods were out. Avalon, as it turns out, had created a low-orbit blockade to prevent any escape.

"Shit!" Two cursed, unable to do anything else as the left engine was destroyed by targeted shots. "And of course they had to hit the fuel tanks too...Silas won't be happy, even if I make it back." Two pulled into a Cobra, forcing the pursuers to break away or overshoot, in the case of three fighters. Leveling out, Two opened fire on the three overshot fighters, downing two and forcing the last to bail. Going into a half-roll, Two pulled into a pass aimed towards the fighters that broke away from the initial maneuver...

 _Click! Click!_

 _..._ only to discover rather painfully that the autocannons had run out of ammo, and that they were now flying headfirst into enemies that were **not** out of ammo.

Two attempted to pull up to recover from the mistake, but forcing the entire weight of the ship onto the right engine, combined with all the damage sustained, was too much for the engine load, and as the engine failed, and Two was stuck in an uncontrolled freefall towards the planet's surface, one word coursed through their mind before impact with the snowy hills.

 _Fuck._

* * *

Metal creaked and groaned, fire and smoke died as a black-cloaked figure pushed the remains of a seat off their body, rolling out of what remains of the cockpit onto the ground. Standing up, Two realized several things.

One: The helmet's advanced optics were trashed, leaving Two relying on normal vision.

Two: The aircraft was utterly destroyed. _Shit, Silas is going to have my ass for this._

Three: The standard issue emergency laser pistol was split into several pieces on impact.

Four: Their custom kinetic pistol remained perfectly fine and operable, minus a few scratches.

 _All in all, pretty good since I got to walk away from it, and my favorite little weapon survived,_ thought Two, _but now there's a glaring problem. I'm stuck on an ice planet, I don't have any rations or water, nor do I have any means of escape._ _.. oh shit._ Rolling to the right and running, Two barely managed to avoid a beam that split the area they were just standing in, the black flight boots sinking deep into the snow. _Oh, right. THESE ASSHOLES are still here, too._

* * *

What followed next could only be described as a test of how many times one living being can curse while dodging large lasers.

Two realized, throughout all the mind-screaming and the cursing, that the beams were getting closer with each miss, and they were now landing in front, rather than behind, and began a heavily staggered sprint, breaking to go left or right constantly to throw off the fighters' aim. Three minutes later, Two was out of options, their back against a cliff leading into a ravine, and their face obscured by the snowstorm. Three fighters surrounded Two, blocking off any chance of escape through conventional methods.

Ordinarily, Two would be wondering why they aren't dead yet, except in this situation it was clear: the three pilots were arguing. Arguing about what, Two didn't know, but it did give them an out. Mock saluting the pilots, Two laughed as they all stopped to look at what they were doing, only to find their target falling backwards off the cliff edge, into the ravine of unknown depth.

* * *

 _Maybe I should've thought this one through some more._ Two thought, as they plummeted into a dark ravine with all the reckless abandon of a bull. Looking back up, Two saw the three fighter jets attempting to pursue, only to find themselves unable to pursue further as the ravine narrowed and widened several times. _Good way to go, I guess? I got the last laugh, and Avalon won't even know if I died or not. They'll be in a state of paranoia because I'm one of the few Noxians that can actually fucking do something to stop them._

Fate, as it happens, had other plans for the pilot, as the ravine widened out one last time. Pulled out of their thoughts, Two looked down as the ravine's walls lit up slightly...

* * *

"Flow Six, this is _Sword of Avalon_ , do you read me? What is the status of the unknown?"

"Loud and clear, Sword. They got away. Fell into a ravine that narrowed down, got too small for our ships to fit."

"Copy that, Flow Six. Return to the Sword for debriefing. Talon won't be happy they escaped."

* * *

... and crashed into dark water, air leaving Two's body on impact and activating the helmet's built-in rebreather. Orienting to what they _think_ is up, Two began to swim, a strange feeling washing over them as the water got clearer, light shining in from the surface.

To an outside observer, the world had flipped and the waters had changed.

Smiling for the first time in well over three hours, Two breached the surface...

 _Wait a second, this isn't the ravine-_

... finding themselves in a lake, hidden deep in a red forest. Smile turned to frown as Two looked around, attempting to find something recognizable to them, a fleeting hope in their heart that it was a planet they were familiar with. A barely-visible distant fortress, perched on a cliff, unfamiliar to the pilot.

Groaning, Two realized that they had ended up somewhere they'd never seen, they began to swim towards the distant shoreline. Four minutes later, Two stood up on solid sand, breathing heavily and disabling the air tanks.

After recovering for a few moments, Two reached for a holster on their left side, the synthetic black leather glistening in the sunset, a rivulet of water dripping off... A flap on the top undone and pulled back, a pistol withdrawn.

The pistol itself was simple; a modernized _**(Technically futurized, but considering the setting Two just came from it's a matter of wordplay.)**_ left-handed LAR Grizzly Win Mag, with an 6.5-inch barrel, the slide and frame extended to prevent what Two called "ugly over-protruding pistol barrels", using a 7-round .50AE magazine. The slide, trigger guard, and receiver are solid black, while the magazines, barrel, trigger, hammer, and all remaining internal parts are silver. The slide's right side contained silver engravings, though the word they once formed is now illegible, having been worn and scratched through battle.

Ensuring the pistol is ready to go, Two moved forward cautiously, prepared for a fight.

* * *

Miles away, in an office brimming with gears, a grey-haired man stares out into the distant red forest, a tablet-sized Scroll in his left hand. On the screen was various cameras, watching the new arrival in Forever Fall, having seen them surface from the lake. "Hmm... I _did_ say this would be an interesting year, though this is certainly not what I meant." Opening his messages, he started one addressed to Glynda Goodwitch.

 **MSG: Prepare a Bullhead to go to Forever Fall, land a half-mile southeast of the lake. We seem to have a new visitor. Perhaps it would be best for you to bring a team of first-years, as well. They could use the extra experience.**

* * *

Two was ready for a fight.

Two was _not_ ready for a fight against creatures of darkness, with bone masks rivaling early Avalonian armor in strength, as the first shot discovered. Two's usual crowd-fighting tactics did not work; dodging one Beowolf would only result in a swing by another, the pack cutting off escape routes.

 _Thirteen bullets, twenty werewolf things. Lovely. How to go about this..._ Eyes flicking around inside the almost gas-mask like helmet, Two's plan came together, a grim smile forming underneath.

 _ **Play: Extreme Music - Tear It Down**_

The first Beowolf rushed, swiping at Two's unmoving figure.

Two ducked underneath, the pistol firing upwards into the Beowolf's jaw before it had time to process what had happened. Two stood up, dashing towards the Grimm's blockade. The Beowolves bared their teeth, ready to feast on a corpse. Jumping over a swing from one of the Grimm, Two grabbed onto the back spikes of one of its companions, using the spike as a fulcrum to spin around, kicking the offending swiper away. Holding on tight with their right hand, Two yanked down. Feet now on the ground, Two's opponent went overhead, rolling over their back before receiving a shot to its open mouth. The remaining Beowolves snarled and growled, circling around what they once thought was an easy kill.

Two Beowolves leaped, their paws sweeping together to kill this annoyance, yelping as they instead crashed into each other, their target having jumped up at the last moment. One shot rang out, piercing through the neck of one of the prone Beowolves, the other having its windpipe crushed by Two using its neck as a landing platform.

Hopping off the deceased Grimm, three shots rang out from the pistol. Two more were dead instantly, a bullet passing into one eye of each. The third one whimpered in pain as it collapsed, the shot going into its left knee, silenced by a boot on its neck.

An empty magazine ejected, a fresh one inserted and the slide pulled back, the pistol was ready once more. Boot still firmly planted on the crippled Grimm, Two pivoted towards an approaching Beowolf and fired, snapping the grounded one's neck as a bullet exited the back of the other Beowolf's head. Two more Beowolves charged, one on the left flank, the other on their right. Letting the disintegrating Beowolf's neck return to its normal position, Two waited until the last moment before backflipping, the left Beowolf receiving a nasty surprise as a corpse was thrown into it, while the right one was shot through the side of the jaw as Two landed. Another shot rang out, killing two more who were stupid enough to line up.

 ** _Interrupt: Tear It Down_**

 ** _Override: Black Math - Falling Infinite_**

The remaining Beowolves backed away as their ears flattened, causing Two to hesitate for a moment, the hairs on the back of their neck tingling. Turning around in the direction the Beowolves were facing, Two froze for a split-second.

A split second was all the new threat needed, catching Two with a large paw. The Alpha had come, angry at the human that dared kill its pack, growling as three shots pinged off its natural armor, the black-wrapped human having stopped a short distance away.

* * *

A lone Bullhead flew over the large lake in the center of Forever Fall, heading towards the southeast edge, bay doors opening as it hovered ten feet above the ground.

Four figures jumped out. One dressed in black and red, one in white and blue, one in black and white, and another in brown, black, and yellow. The four prepared their weapons and set up a defensive perimeter, waiting as the Bullhead landed and engines powered down.

Stepping out of the grounded craft was a stern blonde, walking straight with a riding crop in hand, each step radiating authority.

The now-revealed team RWBY relaxed, turning to Goodwitch as she stepped out and began speaking. "Our orders are to search the surrounding area facing away from the southeastern portion of the lake. Ozpin & I have reason to believe that there is a new... visitor to Beacon, that appeared in this sector. The four of you are here to both make the search easier, and potentially provide experience. It could take hours to find th-"

 _Bang!_ Whatever Glynda was going to say next was cut off by the sound of nearby gunfire, causing the party to raise their weapons and turn towards the source. "I'm going to guess that was our objective?" Ruby asked meekly, standing straight as Glynda turned towards her. "I do believe so, miss Rose. We must hurry; there is a high chance they are engaged in combat with Grimm."

And so the five ran towards the noise, leaving the Bullhead pilot alone, smirking as they disappeared into the trees. Pulling his scroll out of his pocket and opening it, he launched the recently-released portable version of _Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle II._

* * *

Arriving on the edge of the clearing where the shot had come from, the group of five stopped as they saw the scene.

Eleven dead Beowolves were scattered around the area, in various states of decay. Eight of them had visibly fatal bullet wounds, while two had snapped and crushed necks. Nine more remained active, though it was the ninth and the figure the nine Beowolves surrounded that gave them pause.

An Alpha Beowolf, standing well over nine feet tall, slowly creeping towards a black figure propped against a tree, flanked by the other eight wolf-like Grimm. The figure was obviously injured - even from this distance they could see they were slouched over.

Snapping out of their stupor, the five charged forward, ready to vanquish these foul monsters that dared attack one of their own.

Ruby, with her speed, was naturally the first one to reach the fight, kicking the Alpha away before firing at its chest. With Grimm, however, age comes with reactions: The Alpha recovered before she could fire, using one of its arm spikes to stop the shot, unable to do anything but growl as she sped off to fight two of its pack, bisecting one with a fluid motion and smashing the other into the ground with the back of Crescent Rose.

Weiss arrived next, spearing one of the smaller Beowolves on Myrtenaster as it turned to roar at her. Pulling her rapier out in one swift motion, Weiss pulled the trigger and swung, freezing another Beowolf solid.

Blake arrived, throwing Gambol Shroud's sheath into the neck of a Beowolf, and catching a second one's leg with the kusarigama form of her weapon, the blade embedding deeply. Running forward, she pulled the sheath out of the first corpse, beheading the second Beowolf in one precise slice.

Next was Yang, her left fist crashing into the face of one Beowolf before Ember Celica's shotguns fired, the Beowolf's neck snapping from the impact before being shredded by the blasts. Turning towards the remaining non-Alpha Beowolf, Yang prepared to fire ... only for Glynda to march past, offhandedly smashing the Beowolf into a tree with a wave of her crop, a glyph springing forth to do her bidding.

* * *

Two could very easily say this was the worst day ever. Losing an experimental plane, losing their second-favorite pistol, heavily damaging their custom helmet, jumping into a ravine, swimming up from the bottom of a lake, and fighting creatures made of hatred all in the same day was rather difficult to enjoy, to say the least.

 _And to top it off, I got thrown into a tree, my right arm doesn't want to work, I'm pretty sure I have one or two broken ribs, and I'm about to die to something that belongs more in a fairy tale ... What's that noise?_

Two's question was swiftly answered by the Alpha flying past, embedded into a tree, swiftly followed by a small child with a-

 _Is that a scythe? What ... this world. This has to be a joke. Maybe I'll take a nap ... a nap sounds good. Haven't had one in a while._

-scythe embedding said weapon into the monster's neck.

Two vaguely saw, through half-lidded eyes, the five saviors crowding around, concern evident on their faces. Any words spoken, however, were muffled by the sound of Two's heartbeat pounding in their own ears. One word stood out, however, before Two began a long rest.

 _I wond ... wonder what an Aura is._

* * *

The five moved to the figure after disposing of the Beowolf pack, looking among each other. Ruby was the first one to speak, trying to figure out how to deal with this situation. "Um, Miss Goodwitch? What do we do...I mean, they're bleeding pretty heavily and judging by the big dent in the tree, they miiight have something broken?"

The aforementioned witch glanced at Ruby, thinking through every situation possible. Save for one option, none of the outcomes in Glynda's mind were particularly good, especially with Ruby's words taken into account.

 _Is it possible they don't have their Aura yet?_ The question kept springing to the front of her mind, repeating itself. A few moments later, she had come to a decision. "Children, I believe this person has not unlocked their Aura, and I would advise the four of you to stand back and call for a medical Bullhead." The team did as such, with Ruby dialing for an emergency Bullhead, glancing at each other with worry as Glynda crouched down, placing one hand on the mysterious figure's left breast and the other on the right side of their head. Clearing her throat, Glynda began speaking.

"For it is passing that we achieve immortality." At this, Glynda began to glow a faint purple, while the stranger glowed a weak, scarlet red. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory, to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death." The two Auras glowed brighter, meshing together. "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

With this, Glynda's arms dropped as her Aura dropped, while the figure's scarlet glow remained for a few scant moments. "I can only hope that was enough to save them until the medics get here." Indeed, the effects of Two's newfound shield were already visible, their breathing steadying out while shifting slightly.

Now that this mysterious figure was no longer in _immediate_ danger, RWBY & Goodwitch were able to get a better view of just what this person's outfit was.

No words came to their mouths, as the figure's outfit was an amalgamation of outfits throughout time.

The boots were thick, insulated and waterproof, made of a synthetic black leather, buttons of silver lining the front and collar, silver socks visible underneath, a black pair of pants overhanging. Two pockets, one on each knee, were clearly visible, though anything past that was obscured by a partially-unbuttoned black leather longcoat, reminiscent of those used by the pilots of Mantle before and during the Great War. Underneath the longcoat was a silver shirt, though the sleeves were obscured. On the stranger's hands were a pair of black and silver hard-knuckled gloves that appeared to be compatible with screens, though the right glove had no finger covers.

Perhaps the most jarring thing, though, was the helmet. It was clearly designed for use in hazardous environments; the front had a forward-extended cover over the mouth and nose, while the eyepieces were a pair of Tyrian-purple Reuleaux triangles, visibly inspired by a gas mask. The sides wrapped around the new arrival's head, with two empty, armored mounts on the cheek areas. The back contained a mount for a hose.

Most of the helmet was black, though there was silver lining around the eyepieces and mounting points. Engraved in silver, on the plating protecting the lower half of the left cheekbone, was _Mk. XIX_.

Despite these garments, ten pairs of eyes were drawn to a patch on the right shoulder. A solid-red robin, with a gold 2 on its forehead, wings outstretched and in flight, surrounded by a thick silver circle, wingtips connecting to it. Inside the circle were the words ' _Nos memento nostri rapto vivit.'_ , emblazoned in gold for all to see.

As the familiar sirens of a medical ship sounded, there was one thought that the five Huntresses shared.

 _Who is this person, and why do they look like they were ready for war?_

 ** _End: Black Math - Falling Infinite_**

* * *

 ** _Sixteen hours later, in Beacon's trauma ward_**

"Miss Goodwitch? You can visit your new friend now." stated Calla, Beacon's resident head doctor, snapping Glynda out of her thoughts. Emerald green eyes opened as she stood up, team RWBY in various states of sleep behind her.

"Thank you, Cal. Are they conscious? I have... _several_ questions for them." came the brief reply, Ruby shaking Yang awake just a few feet away.

"Yes, she is conscious, but I would suggest holding off on any important questions until she's in a more, well, _agreeable_ mood."

"...She?"

* * *

Calla stepped into the room, moving to the side as the others filed in. Tables, cabinets, tools, and machinery lined the walls. On one of the tables was a neatly-folded stack of the same equipment worn by this new arrival, helmet and gloves resting on top, the coat tattered and faded, a concerning amount of blood on the ripped shirt and stained pants.

The figure in the bed caught everyone's eyes, as it took up the center of the room. Everything below the neck, besides the right arm which rested on top, was covered by a thin blanket. Above the neck was a rather young, oval-shaped pale face with rosy pink lips, twisted into a frown. Crimson hair flowed down to the collarbone, a couple of loose strands nearing a pair of closed eyes.

As everyone stopped moving to look at her, a single Byzantium purple eye cracked open, glaring around the brightly-lit room before settling on the six visitors.

One simple word came out of its owner's mouth, whose facial expression had softened slightly.

"Hello."

* * *

 **AN: Wow. 4,400+ words if you don't include the Author Notes. This expanded FAST.**

 **You know how many words I was expecting it to be? Less than 2,500. I was not expecting it to be... this.**

 **Fun fact: Everything except Two's helmet has a real-life version, though not all of it is in the same colors as here.. The overcoat is a black version of a leather RFC flying coat, the gloves are a pair of fairly modified HWI KTS100's, the shirt is a silver XGO Phase 1 Fire-Resistant Long Sleeve Tee (what a name, huh), pants're a pair of Condor 610C Stealth Operators, and the boots are Belleville 770s with some silver 5.11 Tactical Year-Round OTC socks underneath.**


	2. Chapter 1: Unfamiliar Sunrise

**AN: Hello again! Oops, I'm latey-late-late. Time slipped by me, and I've gotten a bunch of games since the first chapter. Destiny 2, For Honor, Europa Universalis IV, Divinity Original Sin 2, etc. Have a chapter to make up for it!**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth. I do not take credit for any characters. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental. There will be discrepancies between the canon characters and my versions of them. I am sorry for this.**

 **Referential Point - Crash takes place 1mo and some single-digit amount of days into the first semester at Beacon, following the calendar used by the University of Arkansas. Date format will be as follows: (x) since The Crash - MM/DD/YY**

 **Chapter 1 - Unfamiliar Sunrise**

* * *

"Hello."

A single soft-spoken word came out from Two's mouth, the damning purple eye staring at the new arrivals. Two pushed herself up gently, hissing in pain as her ribs protested the effort.

Snapping out of her stupor, Calla rushed over to Two's side, attempting to get her to lay back down. "No, no, no! You need to lie down! Your ribs are lucky enough to be as intact as they are, and they haven't come close to fully healed yet!" she protested, being stopped by a firm hand from Two.

"Relax, _Ärztin._ I'm alive, and that's what counts. Besides, I feel better than I should, considering what all's happened to me, so that counts for something, yeah? Plus, I'm healing faster than normal, and I healed decently fast before." stated Two, now mostly upright.

Two's relaxed nature caught the attention of Blake, who had - for once - stopped reading a book. "Hey, Ms. Schaeffer? Didn't you say that she wasn't in an agreeable mood? She seems pretty agreeable right now." Two tittered in response, shifting the focus back to her.

"I may have, er, punched her in the face after I woke up. Anyways, that's not important right now. Names are quite important, though, since I know precisely zero of you." Pointing at the doctor, Two spoke up once more. "You first, then the tall blonde, then the goth, the princess, the ninja, the other blonde, and then me, in that order."

"My name is Calla Schaeffer. I'm the head doctor of Beacon Academy's medical wing, and part of the reason you're able to breathe right now." spoke the doctor, Robyn reviewing her facial features. Dark brown hair framed a pair of gray eyes, a prominent golden ring encircling the iris.

 _Schaeffer, huh? Think I used to know a Schaeffer. Wonder if Calla speaks German as well?_

"I am Glynda Goodwitch, headmistress of Beacon. I was sent by Professor Ozpin to retrieve you, after noticing you move around across several cameras."

The introductions went on, team RWBY presenting themselves in order. _**(Sorry for the interruption, but you guys probably don't want to see another four lines of already-established canon characters introducing themselves, and Two doesn't really have anything to say about everyone individually.)**_

The six, having finished their introductions, awaited for Two to finally say her name. Clearing her throat, she began, "Well now, you six are an interesting bunch. My name is Robyn Blackford, though most people call me Two. Nice meeting all of you, especially the five that saved me from being eaten by ...bipedal wolves." Robyn sighed in relief as her neck popped, shifting slightly into a more upright position before continuing. "So, before I pass out, let's get this out of the way; who do I need to talk to after all this?"

"That would be the aforementioned Professor Ozpin. He is the headmaster of Beacon Academy, and my superior." was the knee-jerk reply from Goodwitch, watching as Robyn popped her neck.

"Well," she started, interrupting herself with a yawn, "Guess I'll have to stop by and talk to him once I'm out of here, then?"

A voice carried itself through the room, a man responding to her. "That won't be necessary, Miss Blackford." said the voice, the door opening, causing everyone in the rather crowded room to shuffle, revealing Professor Ozpin.

"Hello there." he stated simply, closing the door behind him as he moved to the other side of the bed, his signature cane in one hand. "I assume you are the one we found wandering in the Forever Fall forest yesterday," Ozpin's voice turned to a whisper as he leaned in, "though I have my suspicions as to how you _got_ there to begin with." Robyn groaned in response.

"Not right now. I'd honestly rather wait until I'm out of here before doing anything important." she replied, settling back down into the bed, wincing in pain. "Besides," she continued, "I'm currently exhausted. Healing takes a lot out of a person, doesn't it?

Ozpin chuckled in agreement. "Yes, I suppose it does. Very well, Miss Blackford, we'll leave you to rest now. Come along, everyone. I still need a report of what exactly happened." And with that, Ozpin walked out of the room, Glynda and team RWBY in tow.

Ruby looked back, hand on the door. "Are you feeling alright? You lost a lot of... everything back there." Robyn chuckled before giving her a thumbs-up, watching the door close.

"So, Robyn. Before I let you rest, I must know the answer to this question. How'd you survive this long without your Aura? From what I heard, you were hanging out in Forever Fall with just you and your gun."

Robyn sighed, shifting slightly. "It's a long story. Anyways, how soon until I'm out of here, so I can talk to Ozpin?"

Calla shifted a few papers around as she spoke, clearing a small space on her desk to place a book. "Well, by my estimates and considering how fast you're recovering, I'd say you'll be discharged in about four days, though you won't be fully recovered for another five after that."

"Thanks. Night, Cal." replied Robyn, settling down into the surprisingly comfortable bed.

"Goodnight."

* * *

 ** _Eight days since The Crash - 02/09/01_** **  
**

Robyn groaned as her joints popped mid-stretch, having finally been released from the medical ward after seven days of being confined to a bed.

"That feels so much better." she said to nobody in particular, as Calla was attending to other patients and everybody else was doing... something. _What do_ _they do, anyways? This place is called Beacon Academy, but what college teaches you to kill shadow monsters? I'd wager Avalon does, because most of our colors are black and silver, but I doubt Noxia knows of anything like that._ Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Robyn glanced over at her now laid-out clothes, sighing as she glanced at the sorry state of her once fire-resistant long sleeve shirt. Gashes lined the torso, and the sleeves had been rent into scraps of fabric. Her coat fared somewhat better, though it was still no longer whole.

Thankfully, Calla had found one of her old long sleeves and donated it to Robyn, though it was neither silver nor as comfortable, let alone fire-resistant. Beggars cannot be choosers, though, and Robyn collected all of the clothes before deciding that she needed a shower badly. _Smoke, blood, and seven days without a shower does not smell good._ she mused, locating the bathroom... and a 6x8ft shower. _Ooh, roomy._

* * *

Robyn stepped out of the bathroom, adjusting the new shirt underneath her long coat, hissing slightly as it rubbed against one of her new scars. Suppressing the urge to place her hand over said scar, she hung her helmet on her belt as she left, the door closing gently behind her. Turning around to begin a search for Ozpin's office, she yelped as Glynda was suddenly standing behind her. "You heard _nothing_." Robyn stated, taking a step back. "Anyways, d'ya mind taking me to Ozpin? It would shave a lot of time off, seeing as how I have no idea where to go."

Glynda nodded, and began to walk away. "If you'll come with me, I will take you to his office." she called out towards Robyn, who quickly fell into step with her.

"Oh, can we grab my pistol on the way, if it's not up there? I feel more comfortable having it with me rather than walking about unarmed."

 _This is going to be a long day..._ Glynda thought, sighing in response as the duo began moving towards her office.

* * *

Twenty-seven minutes later, they had arrived in the main section, Robyn adjusting her re-acquired pistol inside its holster while waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"How far up does this elevator go, for Ilyja's sake?" Robyn broke the silence, her voice muffled by the helmet.

 ** _Ding!_** "Of course..." muttered Robyn, stepping into the elevator. Glynda pressed a large, rectangular button, and stepped back as the elevator closed and began to go up.

 _Still going..._ Robyn removed her helmet while waiting and attached it to a small metal plate on her belt.

 _Almost there._ Robyn tapped her right hand against the elevator's rails, playing out a poor rendition of Reveille.

 ** _Ding!_** _Finally!_ Robyn marched out of the elevator, dreading every moment spent inside of it. Glynda walked out behind her as the elevator doors closed and stopped to the side of the desk, while Robyn stood at attention in front, watching the back of a chair.

The chair spun slowly, keeping in time with the movement of the gears above, as Ozpin slowly came into view, sitting straight in the chair with one leg resting atop the other. Looking up at Robyn, he allowed himself a small grin. "You can relax, miss Blackford. I take it you're here to discuss your arrival, no?" Robyn bent forwards, bracing her hands against Ozpin's desk as she leveled herself with his face. "Indeed I am. Mind telling me why you've got a portal in your lake?" she asked, nodding over at the distant expanse of red trees, partially visible from the tower. A ring of taller trees surrounded the lake, hiding it from view.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, hmm-ing in response to her question. "I was unaware of this... development. Would you care to explain what you mean by that?" he said, causing Robyn to sigh - the situation was worse than she thought. "Might as well tell you the reason why I ended up here in the first place, and what led up to that."

* * *

"Two years ago, a faction of rogue soldiers from Noxia - one of the two galactic empires - took control of approximately six _Helios_ -class Destroyers, and set them on course for a planet controlled by Avalon - they're the other galactic empire. Upon arriving, they dumped all of their reactors and drives above the planet, turning it into a barren wasteland. Now here's _why_ they did that; they located the wife and son of Avalon's emperor, Talon, and decided to kill them and a lot of other people to spark a war between Avalon and Noxia. They accomplished their mission, by the way. Avalon's military mobilized extraordinarily fast, and Noxia lost the first battle. But, we regrouped and pushed back hard, forcing Avalon into a defensive front... Or rather, we _thought_ we pushed Avalon into a defensive front." A bitter and mirthless laugh escaped Robyn before she continued. "We were wrong. Avalon had consolidated approximately 43% of its forces in unclaimed territory, and outflanked us while destroying many of our supply worlds. We'd already lost, though we didn't know it... You guys got some water? My throat's a bit dry."

Glynda left the office, returning a minute later with a cup of water, which she handed to Robyn before taking place by Ozpin once more. Robyn used the lull in retelling to watch their expressions while downing the water, setting the empty cup down on the desk before continuing.

"Thanks. Anyways, the two forces joined up, and from that point on we've been losing battle after battle. We've fought approximately two hundred ninety-one battles since the war began, and we've only won seven of them - all of which were in the first three months. Two hundred seventy-five ended in Avalon victory, while the remaining nine were stalemates. We almost had eight, but... things happened. Lady Astra - the empress of Noxia - was severely wounded, and has been unconscious since, further crippling our communications with the other field regions." A dark frown crossed Robyn's face, but was swiftly hidden. "Onto the most recent events. Eight days ago, I and fifteen other pilots of the Noxian Sixth Fleet were sent to the planet of Jaeter." Robyn's frown returned in full at the mention of the planet, though she continued.

"Jaeter is... _was_ a neutral nation, and it got caught in Avalon's path of destruction. Avalon was waiting, and we were ambushed by one of their capital ships. I crashed on the surface of the planet, and dove into a ravine - which by the way, was never there before. A while later, I splash down at the bottom of the ravine, and swam to what I thought was above in hopes of finding something. What I found was myself, in the middle of a lake, on another planet entirely, hell, maybe even a different universe. You know what happens after."

A pensive mood settled over the group, as Robyn stood up straight and began walking towards the large windows behind the desk, looking out over the forest. Several minutes of unspoken conversation passed between Ozpin and Glynda, before Ozpin stood next to Robyn and took a sip out of his mug.

Ozpin broke the silence first. "So, Miss Blackford, what do you intend to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You appear to be stuck on Remnant. You have no ship, the cameras show no trace of this portal, and our fuel source stops working as soon as it leaves the atmosphere. So, what are you going to do?"

Robyn opened her mouth to reply, then closed it when she could not find any words. "I don't know. I've got no idea about anything here, I've got no plans to enlist in a different military, and I'm absolutely stuck here."

Ozpin hmmed, moving to his desk to grab a small, black rectangle before moving to Robyn's side once more. "Well, I have a suggestion. You could officially enroll at Beacon, but you would not be placed on a team, due to the time you arrived. You would get access to our facilities; the training rooms, the library, the cafeteria, the forge - anywhere a student is allowed to go, an unused residency you can stay in, and a Scroll. Alternatively, you could become a gun for hire, wandering Vale and the other kingdoms, looking for someone who needs a mercenary."

Robyn sighed; Ozpin's suggestions were really her only options, considering her previous occupation - and the one before that.

"So what's the catch on that first one? You only listed positives." Robyn's reply caused Ozpin to chuckle.

"You would have to attend classes, and I will occasionally request a favor from you that I expect to be accepted." A smile grew on Ozpin's face as Robyn recoiled after 'classes'.

"Eugh, classes. I never thought I'd be bored of learning, but then you enroll in the Noxian Air Forces ... Sure, why not? That actually isn't as bad as I thought. Any records I need to fill out to enroll?" Robyn shifted and placed a gloved hand on her helmet. Ozpin handed her a black rectangle with a golden diamond-shaped button, causing her to raise a brow. "That is your Scroll. It allows you to communicate with us and any others, monitor your Aura, as well as many other functions. Open it by pressing the button on its center and pulling the two sides away from each other, and close it by pushing them together again." Robyn opened and closed it several times, testing out various methods to open it.

"Handy, that."

"As for the records, you might want to make yourself comfortable, as we'll have to make one from scratch. I'll try to keep it brief."

Robyn sat down in a chair facing towards the desk - _That was not there before!_ \- and popped her neck, watching as Ozpin pulled up various holographic menus, blinking as a camera suddenly flashed. A head shot of her appeared on the upper left corner of one of the displays, and Ozpin dismissed the other displays.

"So, miss Blackford, how tall are you, what is your weight, and how old are you?"

"I'm five feet and eight inches, I weigh 133 pounds, give or take .3, and that depends on how long a year is to you guys. Guessing 365 days with an extra day every four years?"

"That would be correct."

"Then I'm 20."

* * *

 _Fuck me, that was boring. Glad that's over._ Robyn thought, as she stood up from the chair and stretched, sighing in satisfaction as her lower spine popped. "So's the place ready now, or do I have some time to figure out where the important things are?"

"You will have the rest of next week to settle in and look around Beacon while we tailor your uniform. Miss Rose and the rest of Team RWBY will escort you there. Additionally, your Scroll has the contact information of our teachers, Ozpin and myself included, if you require any assistance from us." Glynda spoke up, having remained silent during the process.

"Thanks, you two. I'm gonna go now and check out the dorm." Robyn stepped towards the elevator, the doors opening automatically.

 _And now for this bullshit. Why is this elevator SO FUCKING SLOW?_

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, with RWBY_**

"Why's it taking them so long in Ozpin's tower? I don't think anyone's spent this long up there besides Glynda and the headmaster himself." Yang wondered aloud, looking at the various states of boredom the team was in. Ruby was dangling her feet off the nearby bench, attempting to see what Blake was reading. Weiss was standing next to the elevator, her hands folded in front of her.

Yang was sprawled out across another bench, looking up at the ceiling. They had all been called here by Goodwitch to escort Robyn to her dorm, though she had yet to leave the office.

"Because this elevator's way too slow for how high up Ozpin sits." The team all looked over at the elevator. Robyn was now standing in front of it, staring back at all of them. "What?" she said, wondering why they were so surprised to see her down here.

"Well, it's just that we never heard the elevator arrive. Or open." Ruby stated, breaking the silence.

"Huh. Yeah, that elevator's got problems. So, you four are supposed to bring me to my new place?" Three nods and a 'Yup!' confirmed it. "Well, let's get going then! I wanna get settled in as fast as possible."

* * *

The room was located to the left of Team RWBY's dorm, causing Robyn to cock an eyebrow in question. _Seems like Ozpin knew what he was doing, getting Team RWBY to bring me here._

"Here we are; your new dorm! Just put your scroll against the scanner above the doorknob to unlock it." Robyn did as such and opened the door, stepping inside a hallway.

Everyone was silent as Robyn flicked the light on. Robyn wasn't placed in a dorm - she was placed in an entire apartment. "Ooh, I like this place... Do you guys not get rooms like this?" Immediately to the left was a closet for coats and boots, while opposite of that was another closet containing a vacuum cleaner, towels, and rags. Leaving the hallway led to a 'great room' - a living room, dining room, and kitchen - with one large window overlooking the courtyard, the large crimson curtains opened.

A quick examination also revealed two bedrooms, one with a grand king bed and the other sporting four Three-quarter beds, each with a large bathroom featuring separate bathtubs and walk-in showers, as well as several larger closets. _T_ _his place is also designed to house a team if necessary? Interesting._

The team finally recovered, proverbially picking up their jaws. "Why can't we get one like this? It's way more awesome than our dorm!" asked Ruby, looking around the apartment.

"Blame Ozpin for that one. Considering the hour of conversation I had with him, he's probably got something planned since this place also has a 4-person bedroom." Robyn said, stepping out of the master bedroom, her coat and helmet missing. "Now c'mon, I wanna check out the rest of Beacon. According to the Scroll, the library's not too far from here."

* * *

"Robyn, what exactly were you doing in Forever Fall? Grimm activity in the forest has been rising for several months now." asked Blake, watching Robyn set down several books on Dust and Remnant's history, as well as one book on the known types of Grimm.

"Hm? Oh, that. Just needed to clear my head for a while, guess I should've picked somewhere else." Robyn lied through her teeth, checking something off on her Scroll.

Ruby looked up from the counter, having spent a few minutes disassembling and reassembling Robyn's pistol. "Huh... that's weird."

Robyn came over to Ruby, looking over at the disassembled pistol. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's got some stamping on the barrel that I don't recognize, there doesn't seem to be a melee transformation, and using Dust ammunition would really foul the gun's mechanisms."

"The stamping is because I had the gun custom made by a friend. As for those other two... I use a gunpowder-based cartridge, and I usually carry around a dagger of some kind, but it disappeared a while back and I have yet to actually find it."

"Sounds like you need to upgrade!" Ruby shouted, quickly reassembling Robyn's pistol and handing it back to her. Yang, Weiss, and Blake were all standing by the door, knowing looks on their faces.

"Wait, where are we going-" Robyn's arm was grabbed by Ruby, cutting off her protest as she dashed out the door with WBY in tow.

* * *

Jaune glanced up from his Scroll, texting the rest of JNPR that he was going to meet them at the training halls. A red blur was coming towards him, dragging along an unfortunate red-haired soul in a cream long-sleeve shirt. "Oh, hi Ruby. Who's that- aand she's gone. Man, she is fast."

"Vomit Boy!" Jaune immediately turned around at the mention of his infamous nickname, blinking in surprise as Yang stopped to catch her breath.

"Hi, Yang. Need something?" For a second, Jaune thought he saw Weiss standing next to Blake.

"We need to know if Ruby came through here."

"She went that way. Is she dragging someone to the forge again?" Jaune pointed down the empty hallway, a single rose petal drifting through.

"Yup. Thanks, Vomit Boy." was the reply from the blonde, as the trio dashed off in the direction he pointed.

Jaune watched them leave, turning around when they were no longer visible. "That was interesting." he said, before continuing his walk.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was really dialogue heavy. Not sure when I'll get the third chapter out. Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 2: Unfamiliar Night

**It's June. I started in January.**

 ** _Ffffuck._**

 **You might wanna look up heraldry. It'll help with something in the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth. I only own the characters that are not part of RWBY itself.**

 **Chapter 2: Unfamiliar Night**

* * *

 ** _Eight days since The Crash - 02/09/01_**

The door to Beacon's forge burst open, Ruby skidding to a stop in the center of the facility's main room. Robyn was unceremoniously sprawled out on the floor behind her, mouth agape as she tried to process what just happened, before WBY caught up nary a minute after, Blake and Yang breathing heavily - Weiss, on the other hand, was hunched over with her hands on her knees. Robyn slowly got up, looking at the team members.

"What the fu-" Robyn began, but was promptly silenced by Yang. "Language." she warned, already covering Ruby's ears - the owner of whom was protesting.

"Yang, I'm not a kid anymore! Besides, I've heard what you say when you stub your toe!" Ruby complained, breaking free from Yang. Weiss finally recovered, immediately crying out 'Hey!' as Ruby used her as a buffer against Yang.

"Gods, you're all insane..." Robyn muttered, hand on her forehead. She sighed before looking up and continuing. "Anyways, _w_ _as zur Hölle_? She moved way too fast to just be sprinting!" Robyn gestured towards Ruby, who smiled sheepishly behind Weiss.

"That was Ruby's Semblance." was the curt reply of Blake, standing a few feet back from the others.

"A what now? I know what the word 'semblance' is, but you said it like it was important." came the confused reply from Robyn.

"A Semblance is an ability unique to every person with an unlocked Aura. Some Semblances are fundamentally the same, but work differently compared to the other. Some know their Semblance by heart, others spend years trying to find it, and others still end up activating their Semblance by chance. Yet, there's also people who can spend their entire lives trying to discover their Semblance, and never find out what it is. There are also recorded examples of a person's Semblance evolving as they grow, sometimes changing entirely." Weiss explained, freeing herself from Ruby's grasp in the process.

"Huh. That's... neat? Wonder if I'll discover mine soon. Anyways, why am I here now - actually, _where_ am I?" Before anyone could reply, Robyn strode out of the room, coming back a few seconds later with a curious look on her face. "If I read that right, this is Beacon's forge. Nice in here, but it's not the kind o' forge I'm used to. Way fewer mechanical arms and cutting lasers. Back to the original question! Why did Rose over there bring me here?" asked Robyn, looking at the assembled team.

Ruby seized the lull in conversation. "Because that pistol alone won't keep you safe out there! Dust is easier to obtain than gunpowder, can be used in its natural form and others, is a better propellant, comes in different types for different needs, _and_ you don't have a melee function on it!"

"First of all, I carry around a really large dagger - it's more like a shortsword at this point - when I'm not flying something. Second, it's rather hard putting a melee function on a pistol with a slide, other than tiny little bayonets. So what'd you bring me here for, to make a new weapon?" Robyn retorted, watching the rest of the team shift away from her and Ruby.

"Yes!"

"I... you... whatever. I can't spontaneously think of a firearm-melee combo, you know. Let alone the action it uses, what ammo it takes, or even how to make it - I'd need, let's see... several robotic arms, a laser-cutter assembly line, and a custom automatic hot forge machine. We think differently on these matters-" Robyn paused and took a glimpse of Ruby's deflated expression, cursing herself for looking into those silver eyes. "-but, with enough time, we can do it together. I'll need a white marker, a lot of blueprint sheets, and my helmet."

"I can get your helmet, but why do you need it?" Ruby asked, wearing a quizzical look.

"For the music contained within. I'm not joking; here's my Scroll. I left my helmet in the master bedroom, on the dresser in front of the bed." Robyn tossed her Scroll to Ruby, who caught it and dashed off, returning four minutes later with helmet and scroll in her hands.

"Thanks. Now... let's get to work." The duo moved away, Robyn sitting down at a large metal table.

* * *

 _ **Play: [8 Bit] Sabaton - The Last Battle**_

"The hell? Helmet's on the blink today."

Robyn slapped her helmet, resting on the left side of the bench.

 _ **Play: Sabaton - Resist and Bite (Sir Frost Instrumental Cover)**_

She smirked as the music began playing. "That's much better. I think I have an idea, now. It wouldn't be able to fire in its melee form, because the recoil on blow forward firearms is like playing catch with a cement block, so that's..." Robyn broke off into mumbling, with Ruby peeking over her shoulder as she drew on the sheet. Robyn continued mumbling for a few seconds before shaking her head and pushing the blueprint aside, quickly grabbing a fresh sheet and continuing her work.

Half an hour passed, the stack of blueprints now past her elbow. Another blueprint was placed on top, Robyn's muttering turned into frustrated groans. Only five fresh sheets remained now, with one of them sitting in the center of the table, completely blank except for a couple white dots.

"Gods, this is painful to deal with. Every time I think I've got it, I find something that would make it completely unusable - wait a second. No, I get it now! I'm approaching this from the wrong angle. Let's try this instead..."

Nine minutes later, Robyn handed a wide-smiled Ruby the blueprints to a new weapon. "Alright, kid. Change whatever needs changing, and add whatever you think it needs."

Ruby nodded, closely examining the blueprints for a few moments. "I'm surprised you aren't using frameworks for this. Hey, what caliber is this?"

"10mm Auto. Did I forget to mark it on the blueprint?"

* * *

"I think they're gonna be here for the rest of the evening, so unless you all want to observe the new chick for a while, we should probably get going." Yang stated, looking at Weiss and Blake..

...who were still watching Robyn, with disdain and suspicion respectively.

"Or we can just stand here all day. That works too." Yang sighed, sitting down at another table to watch them.

* * *

"Hmm... It could use a Dust chamber, though you could use specialist bullets instead. Is there no holstered form on this thing?" asked Ruby, her silver eyes absorbing every bit of information on the blueprint.

"I'd like the chamber one, instead of needing specialist magazines. I feel as though the grip safety and slide locks are enough, though the blade might be a problem." Robyn replied, making minor adjustments to the blueprint. Ruby held out her hand, fingers closing around the marker.

"The blade can be solved pretty easily by splitting it into three or four pieces, depending on how long you want it. One last question: what's with the engraving on the grip? I don't recognize any crests like that."

"That's... something personal." Robyn replied, a frown flashing across her face. "Anyways, let's get started, yeah?"

 _ **End: Sabaton - Resist and Bite (Sir Frost Instrumental)**_

* * *

"That is one nice-looking drop forge." Robyn said as she put her helmet on, examining the drop forge while Ruby put on a blacksmith's apron, a welding mask, and a pair of thick, brown leather gloves.

"So uh, since this was rather spontaneous, we don't have any of the needed dies, do we?" asked Robyn, examining the drop forge.

"Uh, we usually don't need pre-made dies. We can use Fire Dust to burn the shapes into these big plates over here, which attach directly to the sides of the forge to hang below the giant hammer thing, and then it just beats everything into shape." Ruby replied, doing exactly that. "Also, I need you to turn on the automatic hot forge over there."

"How did I _miss_ that thing?!"

* * *

 ** _Four hours later..._**

 _"So lange zeit, Sehn' ich mich nach Ehrlichkeit..."_ crooned Robyn as she carefully assembled the weapon, making sure that every piece fit exactly. She smiled as the blade's four pieces retracted and extended smoothly, retracting it once more and placing it inside of a new black-and-silver holster.

"So is there a range anywhere? I'm itching to test this thing out." Robyn asked, turning towards Ruby as she stood up.

"Yup! Team RWBY - to the training halls!" Ruby marched out the door with the team in tow, Robyn keeping in step with the silver-eyes Huntress.

As they walked down the grand halls of Beacon, Robyn leaned down to Ruby and whispered, "You know, I'm not sure your friends like me very much."

"Whaddya mean?"

"What I mean is, Blake over there looks like she's planning to either place cameras in my room or ambush me later, and Weiss acts like she just doesn't think I should be here in the first place."

"I mean, you did kind of show up with no warning in the middle of a forest, and you haven't really done anything to earn their trust..."

"... Fair enough. You win this round."

* * *

"And we're here!" Ruby stopped in front of a large, ornate wooden double door, the words 'Training Hall' on both sides.

"That is one expensive door." stated Robyn, pushing the paired doors open...

... and walking directly into Jaune, causing them both to stumble, though Robyn recovered. NPR caught Jaune as he fell into them, propping him back up.

"W-whoa!"

"Agh, my nose! Who the hell..."

"Jaune found a new person!"

"Nora, please don't shout..."

"Oh dear..."

Ruby smiled awkwardly and helped pull Jaune up. Yang snorted in response, while Blake just shook her head.

Weiss, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What a _wonderful_ introduction to your own competency..."

 _"Das war kalt, Weiß."_ Robyn groused to herself momentarily, before groaning as everyone began speaking at once. "Can everyone just stop talking for three seconds?" Robyn asked while partially removing her helmet, hand on her nose. "Thank you. Gods, that hurts... Now, let's try again, _without_ talking over each other."

Robyn turned towards JNPR, a half-smile on her face. "I'm Robyn Blackford. Who're you four?"

Nora took the initiative, moving to the front of the door. "Nora Valkyrie, at your service!" She mock-curtsied, smiling from ear-to-ear as Robyn chuckled lightly in response.

Ren stepped forward and bowed gently, surprised when Robyn returned it a few seconds later. "Lie Ren. You're the one from the forest that we've been hearing about, no?"

"That's... Yeah, that's right."

 _Rumor mill has already found me? Scheiße..._

Robyn shook herself from her thoughts, looking up as a tall woman with red hair stepped forward.

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Pyrrha held out her hand, Robyn reflexively shaking it.

"Nice t'meet you too."

Robyn turned towards the blonde that she walked into.

"The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, ladies-" Instead of finishing his sentence, Jaune was yanked backwards by an invisible force with Pyrrha sprinting forward to catch him again.

 _Bit fast on that catch, Pyrrha. Something ain't right there._ Robyn decided not to speak her mind, instead simply raising an eyebrow.

"Jaune leads us as team JNPR." Ren finished, looking up from the situation beside him.

"What, like the berry?"

"I... suppose so."

"Right. Anyways, I'll just move outta the way so you guys can leave..." JNPR filed past as Robyn stepped away, conversing with RWBY for a few moments.

Robyn watched them go, before turning and walking into Beacon's training halls. "Strange bunch." She said to no one in particular.

Robyn moved ahead of team RWBY, eager to use her new weapon.

* * *

The five quickly found an empty training floor; most students staying inside their dorms rather than sparring.

Robyn checked her weapon's magazine twice as she stepped into the center of the arena, looking up at the observatory where team RWBY was watching.

She looked back to the other side of the floor and gave the observation room a thumbs up.

 **Initializing...**

 **Visor synchronized.** The twin eyepieces activated, feeding data to the helmet as their fields of vision merged.

 **Camera synchronized.** A secondary screen lit up in Robyn's curved vision, triggering a microcamera built into the back of the helmet. Static filled the screen momentarily as the camera connected, before clearing to show her the arena's entryway.

 **Thermal imaging inactive.**

 **IR vision inactive.**

 **No infantry tags detected.**

 **No aircraft tags detected.**

 **Motion tracker inactive.**

 **No radio frequencies detected.**

 **HMD initialized.**

 **Welcome, User.**

Robyn smirked - both bitter and genuine - as the helmet's seals activated and the display lit up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 _Inhale..._

"Beginning Simulation Zero." A robotic voice spoke over a hidden speaker. An environment appeared in seconds; Trees, wooden frames, and rubble appeared around the arena. Metal silhouettes sprang up in various areas, some moving side-to-side.

 _Four targets at twelve, twenty-five meters. Total targets unknown._ Her grip on the pistol tightened, index finger following the barrel. The grip safety deactivated.

"Begin."

Robyn raised her pistol, instinctively firing a shot as soon as the barrel was in line with the first target. The target rang as it retracted into the floor, signaling a hit.

* * *

"So what's up with her new gun?" Yang asked Ruby, watching Robyn from the observation room. Robyn moved through the course as if she had done it a hundred times over, repeatedly checking her pistol's magazine as she went along.

"Oh, right! Narrator voice go!" Ruby shouted, throwing the blueprint into the air.

"Wait, what?"

The pistol is a largely modified Tanfoglio T95 "L" variant, with the primary modifications being an extension of the trigger guard and a short, black rectangle that extends from the trigger guard to the end of the gun. The trigger guard's bottom has been removed, as well as widened and extended such that it stops parallel to the magazine. The guard curves inwards sharply, leaving a quarter-inch gap between the magazine and guard, ultimately creating a knuckle-bow. The slide features two extendable covers; one for the exposed barrel, and one to cover the front of the gun. The front cover has a long, narrow diamond shape cut into it, and additional plates to bring the front of the slide into the same width as the rest of the gun. The front sight is retractable, the rear sight replaced with a large thumb-sized ring. The safety lever is gone, having been replaced by a flat grip safety on the back.

"Seems like a really weird gun, to me." Yang replied, watching as Robyn cleared the third group of four targets from a single-story rooftop.

"Hush, you! It gets so much cooler."

There is an additional notch cut deep into the beavertail, as well as a button on the forward-left side of the grip. On both sides of the grip is a crest - a silver-bordered black field with a wide, dark-purple per pall. The left third contains a silver fleur-de-lis, while the right third has a golden rook. The upper third has several silver engravings, though it is too small too read.

The pistol ends with dimensions of 8.7 inches in length, 1.4 inches in width, and 5.5 inches in height. The slide plates, and frame are gunmetal gray, while the trigger guard and magazine are silver. The grip, front sights, thumb-ring, and hammer are jet black.

"It's also got a special feature, which she should be testing about now." Ruby leaned over and spoke into a microphone, signaling Robyn.

* * *

 _That's my cue._ thought Robyn, returning to the now-clear arena's center.

Robyn pulled a small switch parallel to the trigger and guard, with a small click sounding as it reached the position needed and locked itself.

The pistol began transforming immediately; the barrel and slide flipped upwards, the hammer disappeared into the notch within the beavertail as the magazine disconnected and various internal safeties made themselves known. The slide and barrel split in half lengthwise, the front plate locking into place. The small box on the bottom of the frame opened up, revealing a collapsed blade that withdrew into the open compartment.

The two pieces of the box sprang apart. One piece attached itself just above the thumb ring, extending to cover the slide and a small area in front of it, while the other remained mostly where it was, excepting a shorter extension that ended with the gun.

The blade rapidly extended in both directions during this process, planting a hidden tang into the empty bolt, and exposing 30 inches of curved, gunmetal-gray steel - based on an ancient _Tellus_ saber used by a certain heavy cavalry.

* * *

"Oh, that explains the box." Yang stated.

Robyn examined the blade for a few moments, before turning towards a trio of worn, scratched, and battered wooden pells that sprang up from the floor.

"Alright then. Let's go."

Robyn jogged towards them, stopping when she was a couple feet away. After another quick inspection of the blade, it began.

Robyn threw cut after cut that seamlessly transitioned into each other, weaving through the pells as she did so. Rarely were her cuts vertical - most of the cuts were varying diagonals.

A few minutes later, Robyn swung horizontally and shifted her sword, so that it was poised above her right shoulder, though she did not move. Robyn dropped the pose after a couple seconds, and walked back towards the gate that led off the floor.

"I guess she's done? That was nice to watch - you don't really see anyone fight like that... ever." Ruby was the first to speak up, having intently watched the whole time.

* * *

Robyn sighed as she stepped into her room, having not bothered to go to Team RWBY after. She felt no need to - nor did she want to explore more of the vast school today. Besides, it was already dark outside. Instead, she simply threw her helmet into a chair and dropped her weapon - which was now in its 'safe' form, still straightened out, but now the blade had withdrawn into the hilt. She saw no need for it, but Ruby had insisted - into the coat, which was still hanging where she left it.

Robyn was on autopilot, as she walked up the stairs and fell into bed.

Sleep came easier than she expected.

* * *

 ** _Play: 'Ich hab die Nacht geträumet' - Instrumental]_**

 _Fuck, my head hurts..._ Robyn complained to herself as she stood up. _Where am I?_

 _...No... no, no, no no no!_

She looked around, and all she saw were distant ruins, still smoking and collapsing.

Great towers fell, and shells rained from above onto a shining, white and gold city. She could smell the sulfur and smoke, even from this distance. Not even the blizzard raging around her could hide what was happening.

The city of Halia was falling.

Robyn moved forward, not stopping even as she struggled through knee-deep snow and strong winds. She raised her left hand in front of her, noting with apprehensiveness that the glove on it was much more different - instead of being a light glove she could pilot with, it was a thick, padded winter glove in various shades of white and gray. The rest of her outfit had likely changed as well, though she did not bother checking, even as the corners of a hood hung in her vision.

She drew a sleek rifle as she reached the edge of the large crater the city was built in, looking over the surrounding area for something.

An artillery camp lied on the crater's slope, a couple hundred feet below. Every fourteen seconds or so, the battery of eight 255mm howitzers fired into the city.

 _I need to stop them, now!_ Robyn observed the howitzers for a moment, before sighting in on one that was reloading. She aimed at the back of the shell and fired -

* * *

" _Ich werde es nicht zulassen der goldenen Stadt wieder!"_

 **End Music**

Robyn bolted awake, her eyes wide with fear and determination as she shouted and instinctively raised her hands to hold a rifle... which wasn't there, because of course it wouldn't be.

"Just a dream... it was just a dream... you're fine..." Robyn attempted to convince herself, breathing raggedly as she got up.

She looked down at her still-gloved hands - her right was shaking, while her left stayed still, save for the swaying when she breathed.

"Fuck! I don't want to go through that shit again..." She slicked her hair back, pacing around the room, until her Scroll beeped.

 _[YX: You okay? We heard that from our room. Sounded really weird.]_

 _Yang? Damn, if they could hear that..._ Robyn thought for a few moments.

 _Scheiße. Alright, gotta lie to her._

 _[RvV: I'm fine. Just remembered something I used to say.]_ A half-truth in its barest form. Robyn waited for the reply.

 _[YX: Oh, alrighty then. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing, then.]_

 _Oh, that worked... I kinda wish it didn't. I don't wanna lie to them about this stuff, but... they're kids, and space travel is apparently impossible to the people here._

 _Fuck._

 _[RvV: Thanks for asking, at least.]_

 _[YX: No problem. If you ever wanna talk about something, you know where to find us. I think.]_

 _[RvV: Out the door and ahead. Thanks for offering, at least.]_

Robyn waited. And waited.

She looked towards the door and listened, to make sure somebody wasn't going to knock. She sighed and shifted around, slowly making herself comfortable again in the bed.

 _I think I'm good now... well, better than I was five minutes ago._

 _I don't know how I'm going to break that news to them._

Robyn shook her head, dismissing the thought.

 _They can't find out. Not until I'm ready to deal with that. They shouldn't._

 _...I fucking hate this._

Purple eyes closed, the robin attempted to sleep once more.

Sleep did not come as easily.

* * *

 ** _Y4758,_ _TM3 D17_**

 ** _Re'dit I b_**

 ** _Avalon lines, field west of New Lothringen_**

A field marshal looked up from his holo-table - displayed his troops' fortifications and situation - as the silver door in front of him opened. A limber man wearing light, muddied armor stepped inside - a scout.

"Here's your report, sir. They've not made much in the way of fortifications." He slid an info chip across the table, which the field marshal quickly snatched and inserted into a slot in the table.

"Good. Now get going, I think one of the gunners needs an ammunition hauler."

The table slowly changed from a golden hue to a far more sinister red, as the lines began reforming... into a large red cross on a black background.

"What is the meaning of this?! Explain now, or I'll haul you off to the prisons myself!" The stocky man spouted in fury, drawing a shortsword - and immediately activated its plasma field, causing the blade to emit a pale green light.

The scout simply looked down at the map, then back up to the field marshal, his dirtied helmet betraying no emotion.

"No, sir." He said, raising a similarly plasma-coated combat knife.

The general leapt over the table, thrusting forward in an attempt to kill the traitor immediately. The scout ducked under the blade, and head butted the marshal as he stumbled overhead. The marshal stumbled into the wall, narrowly avoiding the knife aimed at his throat...

...but not the laser pistol from his left side, which broke his focus for just a moment.

A moment was all the scout needed to drive the knife into the marshal's ribs, pushing it further up as they fell to the ground.

Silence reigned for several moments, before the scout turned towards the man in the doorway that shot at the marshal.

He wore a similar outfit, though it had a forest-green camouflaged longcoat underneath the armor - a Scout Officer.

"You're getting sloppy, Teo." The Officer was leaned against the door frame, angled towards the inside. He motioned for Teo to follow him.

"I know, sir. Not many chances to practice shanking your field marshal." He took his helmet off as they left the Marshal Headquarters, revealing a young, tanned face with dark green eyes and brown hair.

"Ha! That's true. Still, you never did show up to melee training enough for my liking. That's the past, though. We need to focus on the _now_." The Officer continued moving forward, even as explosions and laser fire surrounded him. A lot more than if you were just shooting at the enemy.

Another two scouts - one shorter than the other, both wearing modified armor with dark green highlights - ran up to the Officer and saluted.

"Leonard, Valerie, report. What's the situation?"

The taller one spoke first, his deep voice amplified by the helmet's speakers. "The left flank is being led here by our forces as we speak. We've crippled outbound communications, and the fleet above us is _very_ confused by the not-so-friendly fire."

The shorter one did a small twirl, a clear voice ringing out. "The right flank is in chaos, with most of our agents being there. They'll have less men when they get over here, and those that do will be weakened. Not bad, if I do say so myself, ay?"

Leonard tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't get cocky, sister. We just jumped into the 'shitstorm' part. Emmerich, you want us to get ready now? They're getting awfully close."

An artillery shell struck nearby, throwing dirt and stone everywhere. They could hear the soldiers moving towards the clearing they stood in, the metal-reinforced trenches hiding them from Noxian forces. Avalonian interceptors flew overhead, aiming for a bomber group.

"Go ahead. Everyone, in position!" Emmerich barked, sliding behind a metal slab meant for the quarterguards. Leonard and Teo clambered up into the raised dugouts meant for snipers, but kept their heads low and pressed up against the forward wall. Valerie followed Emmerich's example and quickly checked her rifle's power cell, noting it was still good for fifty-three shots.

Emmerich pressed a button on the small screen attached to his left forearm, activating the comms. "Everyone, switch to our personal channel and turn off your outward mic. Use as little chatter as possible, over."

A trio of affirmatives responded, as the thundering of footsteps got louder and louder.

Emmerich found himself holding one hand over part of his longcoat, the shouts of other officers becoming clear...

The footsteps stopped.

"All units, open fire!" Emmerich bellowed, firing his pistol from the relative safety of the slab. His fireteam followed suit, and over the confusion of the combat, there was a distinct report of more rifles firing from behind the amassed soldiers.

Within minutes, the remaining loyal troops had either surrendered or been killed.

Emmerich sighed in relief and stood up, pistol aimed at the new prisoners in case they tried to move. "Everyone alright?" he asked over the radio, attaching the pistol to a magnetic plate hanging from his belt.

Silence followed.

"I repeat, is everyone unharmed?"

More silence. He glanced over at the cover they had taken and found none of the fireteam.

"Leonard? Valerie! ...Teobaldo?" Emmerich shouted out, removing his helmet.

Short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes chased a diamond-shaped face, with a five o'clock shadow beginning to form.

 _Where the hell are they? They were just here a minute ago..._ Emmerich scratched his face in confusion, before turning around as he heard the sound of Noxian troops charging his position.

The vanguard jumped the gap into the trenches, rifles pointed at every side.

"Hands in the ai- Friendly tags in the area, men. We found our infiltrators. Confirm IFF tags if you see anyone! I want a sweep of the trenches done by the end of the hour!" A young officer in front shouted, his men dispersing to various parts of the trench network. He watched for a few moments, then turned and strode over to Emmerich.

Emmerich glanced at the captured soldiers, as they were rounded up and their armor de-powered.

The officer coughed. "So, lance corporal, where is the rest of your fireteam?"

Emmerich shrugged. "I.. don't know, sir. They were helping me fight one moment, and then they were gone when I checked on them. The tags are still noted as active, but their location is listed as unknown now."

Emmerich and the officer began walking down the support trench, when the officer spoke up again. "Strange... other units have reported similar incidents. Major Robyn von Vrael's tag is still listed as active, but she's been missing for a month now, ever since the Battle for Jaeter. My own commanding officer went missing as well - it's why I now lead the Fourteenth Vanguard Regiment - as well as other soldiers from the regiment. So far, I have been notified of seventy-eight incidents of this kind and I am the only one trying to figure out _why_. Alas, I have been told to stop my investigation and focus on more important matters."

The officer leaned close to Emmerich. "Between you and me, I consider this investigation _really gods-damned important_."

* * *

 **Someone ordered a cliffhanger, yes? Emmerich's fireteam has gone missing, Noxia has placed infiltrator units amongst various parts of the Avalonian military, and time's been all fucking wonky.**

 **Find out what happens, next time on Dragon Ball Z!**

 **Sorry this is so late, by the way. I'm bad at this.**


End file.
